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Analysis: Emirati oil CEO leading UN COP28 climate summit lashes out as talks enter toughest stage

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:45:08 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Emirati leading the United Nations’ COP28 climate talks walked out on stage Monday to a room full of journalists to offer a 17-minute list of what he described as the stunning successes made so far in the summit. Then he spent the rest of the time criticizing the media covering his contradictory remarks about phasing out fossil fuels that again raised the concerns of activists about him heading a state-run energy company that plans to increase its production of crude oil and natural gas.Sultan al-Jaber’s comments highlight the dualities of the United Arab Emirates, an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms. It’s filled with modern skyscrapers but has no freedom of speech. It punches above its weight on the world stage but isn’t used to publicly answering probing questions.And now it wants the popular support of a climate conference filled with some who want the lifeblood of the country’s economy shut off.The latest firestorm, thi...

Search continues for escaped kangaroo last seen in Oshawa

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:45:08 GMT

The search continues for an escaped female kangaroo that was last spotted in Durham Region on Friday.The Oshawa Zoo provided an update to CityNews on Sunday, saying they have been working daily alongside, police, a lost animal group, and the kangaroo owner, in an effort to try to find the animal.“Sadly, there have been no sightings,” says a zoo spokesperson. Durham Regional Police said the kangaroo was in transit to Quebec when its delivery driver made a stop at the Oshawa Zoo on Thursday to let two of the animals “stretch their legs,” when one managed to escape.A video taken from a passing vehicle, and posted to social media, shows the marsupial hopping along a roadway on Friday morning . Team Chelsea, a lost pet search group, says the footage was taken around 7:45 a.m. near Winchester and Harmony roads in Oshawa.Police said they attended the area but were not able to find the missing kangaroo.According to the Toronto Star, the animal was located and nearly ...

Authorities say heavy rains and landslides in Tanzania kill at least 47 and hurt or strand many more

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:45:08 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — At least 47 people are dead and 85 others injured following heavy flooding and landslides in northern Tanzania, authorities said Monday.The government has deployed the military to help rescue hundreds of people trapped by the flooding which has been described as the worst in years in the East African nation.The flooding occurred near Mount Hanang in the north. Houses, roads and bridges have been destroyed, complicating ongoing rescue efforts.President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is attending the U.N. climate summit in Dubai, said she was cutting short her trip to return to Tanzania due to the tragedy.“I send my sincere condolences to the affected families and have directed all our security forces to deploy to the area and help those affected,” she said in a video message.Other East African countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan have been hit by raging floods made worse by the El Niño phenomenon.Hundreds have died across the region and million...

Heavy snowfall hits Moscow as Russian media report disruption on roads and at airports

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:45:08 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Heavy snowfall has hit the Russian capital, disrupting traffic on roads and flights in and out of three Moscow airports, officials and media reported on Monday. The snowfall that began Sunday and continued overnight has brought an additional 23 centimeters (nine inches) to already high levels of snow in Moscow, according to deputy mayor Pyotr Biryukov. About 135,000 people and 18,000 pieces of equipment were involved in the snow-clearing effort. Nearly 200 trucks got stuck in the snow over the past 24 hours, and required assistance from road traffic workers, the Moscow transport department reported. A total of 53 flights were delayed and five more were canceled on Monday morning in three out of four Moscow airports, Russian business daily Vedomosti reported. Most of the delays occurred at the Sheremetyevo airport north of the capital. The two airports to the south, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, also experienced delays, the report said. At the Zhukovsky airport southeast of t...

Democratic Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announces run for Virginia governor in 2025

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:45:08 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democratic Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced Monday that he will run for Virginia governor in 2025.In a campaign video announcement, Stoney said he wants all Virginians to have a fair shot at success.“That’s why I’m running for governor. For families like mine that just need an opportunity. For kids like me who will thrive in school if they just get the right chance,” he said. “And for parents like my dad who work multiple jobs and still struggle to live a secure, middle-class life.”Stoney was the first in his family to graduate high school and college. He served as the first Black Secretary of the Commonwealth and is now in his second term as mayor. In the video announcement, Stoney touts his efforts to improve residents’ lives by improving the city’s finances, improving roads, building new schools and reducing the poverty rate.In the Democratic primary, Stoney will face Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer who has cultivated an identity as a...

Kimberly Palmer: Smart steps to take when helping your grandchildren financially

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:45:08 GMT

In his early 20s, Chris Chen’s nephew dreamed of becoming a professional photographer, but to pursue that dream, he needed equipment that cost over $5,000. His nephew worked hard to save $1,500, then his maternal grandmother provided an additional $750. Chen, a certified financial planner in Newton, Massachusetts, covered the rest.“It helped him understand the value of money,” Chen says of his nephew, who now earns his living as a photographer.Grandparents — and other family members — often have the best intentions when it comes to helping their grandchildren financially, but experts say they don’t always know how best to do so and can accidentally hurt their own finances along the way.Financial advisers recommend following these steps whenever you’re giving grandchildren a financial gift, whether big or small.PROTECT YOUR OWN FINANCES“The first question is, ‘Can you afford to help your grandchildren, and how much?’” says Lorraine Ell, CEO and co-founder at Better Money Decisions, a...

Rescuer raises hope of survivors at a Zambian mine where more than 30 have been buried for days

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:45:08 GMT

LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — A member of a rescue team raised hope Monday that there may be survivors at a Zambian mine where more than 30 informal miners have been trapped under debris for days and presumed dead after heavy rain caused landslides.Rescuers have been searching for the miners since early Friday after they were buried Thursday night while digging tunnels at an open-pit mine near the city of Chingola on the country’s copper belt.“We are getting close and expect to find survivors as there is some voices we are hearing from one of the tunnels,” Wiva Chanda, an informal miner from the area helping with the rescue effort, told The Associated Press by telephone. “There is hope but I think it will be a mix of survivors and dead bodies.”Chingola District Commissioner Raphael Chumupi said at least 36 miners were buried in three separate tunnels while they were digging for copper ore illegally at the Seseli mine without the knowledge of the mine owner. Zambian governm...

Forecast: Chance of rain/snow showers tonight into Tuesday

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:45:08 GMT

CHICAGO — Chilly and mostly cloudy Monday with some peeks of sun. Winds: NNW 5-10 mph. High 40. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Cloudy with a chance of rain/snow showers tonight, especially after midnight. Winds: WSW 5-10 mph. Low 33.Tuesday Forecast: Cloudy skies with a chance of rain/snow mixed showers. Slushy 1" of accumulation possible in the northern suburbs-- elsewhere little to no accumulation. Winds: NW 5-10 mph. High 39.Extended outlook shows a bit more sun returning for Wednesday with highs in the low 40s. Much milder for Thu/Fri with temps in the mid to low 50s. Increasing clouds on Friday with a chance of late-day showers. Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Queen Latifah, Billy Crystal among honorees at Kennedy Center gala

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:45:08 GMT

(The Hill) -- It was a night celebrating the arts, but just weeks before the beginning of a presidential election year, politics was difficult to avoid at the 46th Kennedy Center Honors.A who’s who of Washington came together on Sunday in the nation’s capital to recognize this year’s Honorees: rapper and actor Queen Latifah, comedian Billy Crystal, opera star Renée Fleming, Bee Gees singer and songwriter Barry Gibb and singing legend Dionne Warwick.“I had no idea you've done so much, and you've done it all in such a relatively short amount of time,” Robert De Niro, one of Hollywood’s fiercest critics of former President Donald Trump, said as he took to the stage as part of a tribute to “When Harry Met Sally” star Crystal.“You're only 75,” De Niro continued to Crystal, as President Joe Biden looked on from the audience, before cracking, “That means you're just about six years away from being the perfect age to be elected president."Biden is 81. Julianna Margulies apologizes for cl...

Cooler air today

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:45:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Temperatures this afternoon will be slightly lower thanks to a north to northeast wind. A cold front passing south through Central Texas is leaving the drier wind flow.Today's normal high is 66°In fact, the temperatures this week will be warmer than normal. Friday will be our warmest day when daytime maximums reach the upper half of the 70s.Unfortunately, the weather this week will be dry thus adding to the ongoing drought.The next change for the area happens Saturday. A cold front drops south out of north Texas interacting with the moisture coming from the Gulf leading to the only chance of rain between now and Sunday. The rain is forecast Saturday afternoon. It will leave only a few hundredths of an inch with the majority of that falling east of I-35.Saturday is the only day where rain is forecastThe front will drop highs Sunday to the upper 50s to low 60s.The updated second week outlook is still suggesting a wetter than normal pattern. Temperatures are now foreca...